A ‘Visitorial Committee’ has been set up by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry under the convenorship of former Indian Institute of Science Director Goverdhan Mehta to look into the functioning of Indira Gandhi National Open University from 2006.
The committee will look into the massive expansion that was undertaken during the Vice-Chancellorship of V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai and the subsequent closure of a large number of courses during the current regime of M. Aslam.
The three-member committee will examine all aspects of IGNOU’s decision to enter into MoUs and MoAs with organisations for imparting programmes and courses “leading to dilution of standards of education through distance and open learning.”
Financial irregularities in the grant of recognitions will be scrutinised, so also the conduct of both serving and former officials. The committee has also been asked to address the problem of those students who have completed their courses but are awaiting their degrees/diplomas.